CoderDojo: Digitaler Samstag @ Bücherhalle Barmbek
Coding group for teenagers in Hamburg. We meet twice a month in a library and explore computers.
In 2017 we started this series of workshops in the local library in Barmbek, an urban district of Hamburg, DE. The goal is to inspire teenagers to learn about coding and the wonders of computers.
Event design CoderDojo Hamburg
What we do
Every 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month we meet in the local library Bücherhalle Barmbek to code and learn together. The event is free and open to anyone between the ages of 12 to 17. There's also the option of joining virtually on our Discord server in case someone is not based in Hamburg or dosn't want to meet in person.
The CoderDojo is purposefully kept very open and the most important rule is that every participant figures out what they what to explore. And even though we don't have any pre-planned lessons, it is not necessary to have any prior experice with programming. Every newcomer gets individual help for starting their journey to learn how to code. It's always possible to bring a project that you've started before, but also think up something new.
Every session starts at 10am and ends at 2pm on given saturdays. We start together with a round of introductions. After our computers are ready it's time for programming and having fun. We are helping each other out with our projects and learn from each other. Before we end the session at 2pm everyone gets the chance to present their projects to the group.
I'm regularly taking part as a mentor and there is a group of mentors who also help out the participants. However, I believe as mentors we are learning just as much when we are teaching and supporting.
Coding projects
Over the years we've seen a lot of projects using many different technologies. I'm planning to write more about the projects or how to start with coding on this site in the future.
Here's a selection of tools and technologies which are often used in our sessions:
- Scratch
- Processing and P5.JS
- Websites and learning HTML, CSS, JavaScript
- Python (sometimes using Mu editor)
- Electronics with Arduino, Tinkercad cicuits, Calliope
- 3D games and animations with Unity and Blender
Philosophy
The idea behind CoderDojo is to have a free, volunteer-led, community-based programming club for young people. But every Dojo is a little different, so here I'm sharing our ideas about what we value in particular and how our CoderDojo is special.
We believe the teens should be in charge to explore their interests. As mentors, we are there to help them find orientation and overcome overwhelming challenges. We actively encourage participants to experiment with their own ideas and find solutions themselves.
The CoderDojo is an open room for creativity and meeting like-minded people. We want to everyone to have fun and feel welcome.